kruger declared war on 11 october 1899 , striking deep into the british territories of natal and the cape colony . after the outbreak of war , plans for the dispatch of a combined australian force were subsequently set aside by the british war office and each of the six colonial governments sent separate contingent ##s to serve with british formations , with two squadrons each of 125 men from new south wales and victoria , and one each from the other colonies . the first troops arrived three weeks later , with the new south wales lance ##rs — who had been training in england before the war , hurriedly diverted to south africa . on 22 november , the lance ##rs came under fire for the
kruger declared war on 11 october 1899, striking deep into the british territories of natal and the cape colony. after the outbreak of war, plans for the dispatch of a combined australian force were subsequently set aside by the british war office and each of the six colonial governments sent separate contingents to serve with british formations, with two squadrons each of 125 men from new south wales and victoria, and one each from the other colonies. the first troops arrived three weeks later, with the new south wales lancers — who had been training in england before the war, hurriedly diverted to south africa. on 22 november, the lancers came under fire for the